LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A community development group that works to bolster Louisville’s West End is expanding its programming this spring.

What You Need To Know

  • OneWest is expanding this spring 

  • The nonprofit is founded to improve the city’s environment through workforce opportunities

  • Four new staffers will be hired this spring to help with the expansion of an accelerator program

  • Emanuel Arnold will serve as one of the four new hires as the director of operations 

OneWest has added new staffers and they’re slated to select participants for a new accelerator program this spring. The community development group hopes to “elevate the city through commercial development growth in the West End of Louisville.”

New hires will serve in roles of construction manager, director of fund development, director of operations and executive assistant. The new hires will also help with the expansion of a new accelerator program for chefs who complete the Chef Space incubator, community chefs looking to grow their business.

OneWest’s rowhouses, featuring full industrial kitchens, will be at 516 A & 516 B South 18th Street in the West End of Louisville. (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

The incubator allows chefs to work with other food entrepreneurs while receiving business training. Chefs will be provided a furnished retail space for people hoping to expand their retail operations on South 18th Street.

Emanuel Arnold, the director of operations, will serve as one of the four new hires. Travis Foxx, Brian Strunk and Alia Matala will serve alongside Arnold. 

“It was imperative to me because the West End has been neglected for so long. And with the history of the West End, I just thought it was super important to bring dining back to the West End, with the food deserts and jobs back to the West,” Arnold said. “When the West End does well, Louisville does well. And so that’s so important to me and the mission to OneWest.”

To date, OneWest has raised over $10 million for commercial development projects in Louisville’s West End, which includes loans for major commercial projects. The nonprofit currently has 200,000 square feet of commercial real estate space to improve the city’s environment through workforce opportunities.  

Two chefs will be chosen this week, but anyone looking to get involved for the next cohort should contact OneWest here. This latest expansion is part of former democratic congressional representative John Yarmuth’s Omnibus bill passing to allocate $24 million dollars in federal funding for Building Economic Momentum.

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